To Know OF – Phrasal Verb Explained in American English – Learn to Speak like a Native

If you know of Go Natural English, then you are undoubtedly familiar with your American English teacher, Gabby. Knowing of something or somebody means that you are familiar with a certain place, object, or person.

You could hear phrases like, “I know of the Valley of the Kings in Egypt although I’ve never personally been there, but I have ready many books about it.” You might also hear someone say, “I know of your theories, but I’ve never actually put them into practice.”

English is a great language to use when communicating because it is rich with expressive idioms and phrases. Don’t forget to take every opportunity to visit gonaturalenglish.com for helpful tips and ideas on how to improve your English conversational skills. Be sure to check out the premium course for more advanced support and practice with English.

Episode transcript below:

Hey there! What’s up?

How are you doing, lovely English learner?

I want to share an awesome English tip with you that I notice a lot of people having some trouble with.

So, if you’re not sure what the difference is, then listen on and watch on.

So, “To Know” of course, is to have knowledge of something right?

“I know my address.”

“I know my friends very well.”

“I know how to learn a language.”

“To know of” is usually used with a person.

Now, I said, “I know my friends well.”

That means that I’m familiar with their characters and the way they behave, but if I say, “I know of” plus a person – for example “I know of” – who was I just looking at yesterday – there was a comedian, Chelsea something.